Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes the following steps. First patterned structures are formed on a substrate. Each of the first patterned structures includes a first semiconductor pattern and a first bottom protection pattern disposed between the first semiconductor pattern and the substrate. A first protection layer is formed on the first patterned structures and the substrate. A part of the first protection layer is located between the first patterned structures. A first opening is formed in the first protection layer between the first patterned structures. The first opening penetrates the first protection layer and exposes a part of the substrate. A first etching process is performed after forming the first opening. A part of the substrate under the first patterned structures is removed by the first etching process for suspending at least a part of each of the first patterned structures above the substrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and amanufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a semiconductordevice including semiconductor patterns and a manufacturing methodthereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The conventional planar metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor hasdifficulty when scaling down in the development of the semiconductordevice. Therefore, the stereoscopic transistor technology or thenon-planar transistor technology that allows smaller size and higherperformance is developed to replace the planar MOS transistor. Forexample, dual-gate fin field effect transistor (FinFET) device, tri-gateFinFET device, and omega-FinFET device have been provided. Furthermore,gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire FET device is progressed for achievingthe ongoing goals of high performance, increased miniaturization ofintegrated circuit components, and greater packaging density ofintegrated circuits. However, under the concept of the GAA, themanufacturing yield and/or the electrical performance of thesemiconductor device still has to be further improved by modifyingrelated processes and/or structural design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one of the objectives of the present invention to provide asemiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof. A protectionlayer and a protection pattern are used to form a protection effect fora semiconductor pattern in an etching process performed to a substrate,and negative influence of the etching process on the semiconductorpattern may be avoided accordingly. In addition, semiconductor patternsarranged misaligned with one another in a thickness direction of thesubstrate may be formed by the manufacturing method of the presentinvention, and the device integrity may be enhanced and/or the relatedstructural design limitation may be reduced accordingly.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device is provided in anembodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method includesthe following steps. First patterned structures are formed on asubstrate. Each of the first patterned structures includes a firstsemiconductor pattern and a first bottom protection pattern, and thefirst bottom protection pattern is disposed between the firstsemiconductor pattern and the substrate. A first protection layer isformed on the first patterned structures and the substrate. A part ofthe first protection layer is located between the first patternedstructures. A first opening is formed in the first protection layerbetween the first patterned structures. The first opening penetrates thefirst protection layer and exposes a part of the substrate. A firstetching process is performed after the step of forming the firstopening. A part of the substrate under the first patterned structures isremoved by the first etching process for suspending at least a part ofeach of the first patterned structures above the substrate.

A semiconductor device is provided in an embodiment of the presentinvention. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a plurality offirst semiconductor patterns, and a plurality of second semiconductorpatterns. The substrate includes a recess. The first semiconductorpatterns are disposed on the substrate. At least a part of each of thefirst semiconductor patterns is disposed above the recess. The secondsemiconductor patterns are disposed above the first semiconductorpatterns. The second semiconductor patterns and the first semiconductorpatterns are arranged misaligned with one another in a thicknessdirection of the substrate.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-9 are schematic drawings illustrating a manufacturing method ofa semiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent toFIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 2,FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 3, FIG. 5 isa schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is aschematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a schematicdrawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing ina step subsequent to FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing in a stepsubsequent to FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 12-16 are schematic drawings illustrating a manufacturing methodof a semiconductor device according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein FIG. 13 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequentto FIG. 12, FIG. 14 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG.13, FIG. 15 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 14, andFIG. 16 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are schematic drawings illustrating a manufacturingmethod of a semiconductor device according to a fourth embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein FIG. 18 is a schematic drawing in a stepsubsequent to FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a schematic drawing illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention has been particularly shown and described withrespect to certain embodiments and specific features thereof. Theembodiments set forth herein below are to be taken as illustrativerather than limiting. It should be readily apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that various changes and modifications in form anddetail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

Before the further description of the preferred embodiment, the specificterms used throughout the text will be described below.

The terms “on,” “above,” and “over” used herein should be interpreted inthe broadest manner such that “on” not only means “directly on”something but also includes the meaning of “on” something with anintermediate feature or a layer therebetween, and that “above” or “over”not only means the meaning of “above” or “over” something but can alsoinclude the meaning it is “above” or “over” something with nointermediate feature or layer therebetween (i.e., directly onsomething).

The term “etch” is used herein to describe the process of patterning amaterial layer so that at least a portion of the material layer afteretching is retained. In contrast, when the material layer is “removed”,substantially all the material layer is removed in the process. However,in some embodiments, “removal” is considered to be a broad term and mayinclude etching.

The term “forming” or the term “disposing” are used hereinafter todescribe the behavior of applying a layer of material to the substrate.Such terms are intended to describe any possible layer formingtechniques including, but not limited to, thermal growth, sputtering,evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth,electroplating, and the like.

Please refer to FIGS. 1-9. FIGS. 1-9 are schematic drawings illustratinga manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to a firstembodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2 is a schematicdrawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing ina step subsequent to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing in a stepsubsequent to FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequentto FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 5,FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 6, FIG. 8 isa schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is aschematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 8. The manufacturingmethod in this embodiment may include the following steps. Firstly, asshown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a plurality of first patterned structures P1are formed on a substrate 10. Each of the first patterned structures P1may include a first semiconductor pattern 14A and a first bottomprotection pattern 12A, and the first bottom protection pattern 12A maybe disposed between the first semiconductor pattern 14A and thesubstrate 10. In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may include asemiconductor substrate or a non-semiconductor substrate. Thesemiconductor substrate may include a silicon substrate, a silicongermanium substrate, or a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, and thenon-semiconductor substrate may include a glass substrate, a plasticsubstrate, or a ceramic substrate, but not limited thereto.Additionally, the first bottom protection pattern 12A may include aninsulation material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, or other suitable protection materials, and the firstsemiconductor pattern 14A may include silicon, germanium,silicon-germanium (SiGe), or other suitable semiconductor materials.

The forming method of the first patterned structures P1 in thisembodiment may include but is not limited to the following steps.Firstly, as shown in FIG. 1, a first bottom protection layer 12, a firstsemiconductor layer 14, and a first top protection layer 16 may beformed sequentially and stacked on the substrate 10. As shown in FIG. 1and FIG. 2, a patterning process may be performed to the first bottomprotection layer 12, the first semiconductor layer 14, and the first topprotection layer 16 for forming the first patterned structures P1. Insome embodiments, the first bottom protection layer 12 and the first topprotection layer 16 may include an insulation material, such as siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other suitable protectionmaterials, and the first semiconductor layer 14 may include silicon,germanium, silicon-germanium, or other suitable semiconductor materials.In addition, the first bottom protection layer 12 and the first topprotection layer 16 may be formed by thin film deposition processes,chemical treatments, thermal treatments, or other suitable approaches,and the first semiconductor layer 14 may be formed by an epitaxialgrowth process for improving the film-forming quality of the firstsemiconductor layer 14 and/or controlling the thickness of the firstsemiconductor layer 14, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments,the first semiconductor layer 14 may also be formed by other suitablefilm-forming approaches, such as a vapor deposition process according tosome considerations. Additionally, the patterning process describedabove may include a photolithography process or other suitablepatterning approaches, and the first bottom protection layer 12, thefirst semiconductor layer 14 and the first top protection layer 16 maybe etched by one or more etching steps for forming the first patternedstructures P1. In the manufacturing method described above, a projectionarea of the first bottom protection pattern 12A of each of the firstpatterned structures P1 in a thickness direction of the substrate 10(such as a third direction D3 shown in FIG. 2) may be substantiallyequal to a projection area of the first semiconductor pattern 14A ofeach of the first patterned structures P1 in the thickness direction ofthe substrate 10, but not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the first top protection layer 16 may be patternedto be a plurality of first top protection patterns 16A on the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A respectively by the patterning processdescribed above. In other words, each of the first patterned structuresP1 may further include the first top protection pattern 16A disposed onthe first semiconductor pattern 14A, but not limited thereto.Additionally, in some embodiments, each of the first patterned structureP1 may be elongated in a first direction D1, the first patternedstructures P1 may be disposed parallel to one another, and the firstpatterned structure P1 may be repeatedly disposed in a second directionD2. The first direction D1 may be substantially orthogonal to the seconddirection D2, but not limited thereto. Additionally, in the patterningprocess of forming the first patterned structures P1, some of the firstbottom protection layer 12, the first semiconductor layer 14, and thefirst top protection layer 16 may be patterned to be first dummypatterned structures DP1 disposed at two opposite sides of the firstpatterned structures P1 in the second direction D2, but not limitedthereto. Therefore, the first dummy patterned structure DP1 may includea first dummy bottom protection pattern 12B formed by patterning thefirst bottom protection layer 12, a first dummy semiconductor pattern14B formed by patterning the first semiconductor layer 14, and a firstdummy top protection pattern 16B formed by patterning the first topprotection layer 16.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a first protection layer 18is formed on the first patterned structures P1, the first dummypatterned structures DP1 and the substrate 10. A part of the firstprotection layer 18 may be located between the first patternedstructures P1, and another part of the first protection layer 18 may belocated between the first patterned structure P1 and the first dummypatterned structure DP1. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a first openingOP1 may then be formed on the first protection layer 18, and the firstopening OP1 may penetrate the first protection layer 18 and expose apart of the substrate 10. In some embodiments, a plurality of the firstopenings OP1 may be formed in the first protection layer 18. Some of thefirst openings OP1 may be formed in the first protection layer 18between the first patterned structures P1, and some of the firstopenings OP1 may be formed in the first protection layer 18 between thefirst patterned structure P1 and the first dummy patterned structureDP1. In addition, the first openings OP1 may be formed by an etchingprocess, and a patterned mask (not shown) may cover the first protectionlayer 18 on the first patterned structures P1 and the first dummypatterned structures DP1 in this etching process for avoiding removingthe first protection layer 18 on the first patterned structures P1 andthe first dummy patterned structures DP1 by the etching process offorming the first openings OP1. In other words, after the step offorming the first openings OP1, a top surface and a side surface of eachof the first patterned structures P1 may still be covered by the firstprotection layer 18, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, thefirst protection layer 18 located on the top surface of the firstpatterned structure P1 may be partially removed after the step offorming the first openings OP1, but a top surface and a bottom surfaceof the first semiconductor pattern 14A in each of the first patternedstructures P1 may still be covered by the first top protection pattern16A and the first bottom protection pattern 12A respectively, and a sidesurface of the first semiconductor pattern 14A may still be covered bythe first protection layer 18 for providing a protection effect insubsequent etching processes. Additionally, in some embodiments, a partof the substrate 10 may be removed by the etching process of forming thefirst openings OP1,

In some embodiments, the first protection layer 18 may be conformallyformed on the first patterned structures P1, the first dummy patternedstructures DP1, and the substrate 10. Accordingly, the space between thefirst patterned structures P1 adjacent to each other and the spacebetween the first patterned structure P1 and the first dummy patternedstructure DP1 may not be fully filled with the first protection layer 18for being beneficial to the formation of the first openings OP1 andreducing the etching time of the etching process for forming the firstopenings OP1. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in someembodiments, each of the first openings OP1 may be elongated in thefirst direction D1, and a length of each of the first openings OP1 inthe first direction D1 may be shorter than a length of each of the firstpatterned structures P1 in the first direction D1, but not limitedthereto.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, a first etching process 91 is performedafter the step of forming the first openings OP1, and a part of thesubstrate 10 under the first patterned structures P1 may be removed bythe first etching process 91 for suspending at least a part of each ofthe first patterned structures P1 above the substrate 10. In someembodiments, the substrate 10 may be etched by the first etching process91 through the first openings OP1 for forming a recess R in thesubstrate 10. At least a part of each of the first patterned structuresP1 may be located above the recess R in the third direction D3, and atleast a part of each of the first patterned structures P1 may beseparated from the substrate 10 by the recess R for being suspendedabove the substrate 10. In some embodiments, each of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A may be encompassed by the first bottomprotection pattern 12A, the first bottom protection pattern 16A, and thefirst protection layer 18 in the first etching process 91 for avoidingnegative influence of the first etching process 91 on the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A (such as etching the first semiconductorpatterns 14A and/or influencing the material properties of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A). Additionally, in some embodiments, each ofthe first semiconductor patterns 14A may be encompassed by the firstbottom protection pattern 12A and the first protection layer 18 in thefirst etching process 91 for providing the protection effect withoutforming the first top protection patterns 16A according to someconsiderations. In other words, each of the first semiconductor patterns14A is not exposed in the first etching process 91 for avoiding negativeinfluence of the first etching process 91 on the first semiconductorpatterns 14A.

In some embodiments, the first etching process 91 may include anisotropic etching process, such as a wet isotropic etching process forenhancing the etching selectivity of the first etching process 91between the substrate 10 and other material layers (such as the firstprotection layer 18 and the first bottom protection patterns 12A), butnot limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first etching process 91may include other suitable etching approaches according to someconsiderations. For example, when the substrate 10 is a siliconsubstrate, the first etching process 91 may include a wet etchingprocess using ammonia solution (NH₄OH) or tetramethylammonium hydroxide(TMAH) for etching the substrate 10 and reducing and/or avoiding etchingthe first protection layer 18 and the first bottom protection patterns12A by the first etching process 91, but not limited thereto. Inaddition, the depth of the recess R may be controlled by modifying theprocess parameters (such as the etching rate and/or the etching time) ofthe first etching process 91 for avoiding penetrating the substrate 10by the recess R.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, after the first etching process 91, atleast a part of each of the first bottom protection patterns 12A, atleast a part of each of the first top protection patterns 16A, and atleast a part of the first protection layer 18 may be removed forexposing at least a part of each of the first semiconductor patterns14A. In some embodiments, a single etching step may be used for removingthe first bottom protection patterns 12A, the first top protectionpatterns 16A, and the first protection layer 18 together or etchingsteps may be used for removing the first bottom protection patterns 12A,the first top protection patterns 16A, and the first protection layer 18respectively. For example, when the material of the first protectionlayer 18 is silicon nitride and the materials of the first bottomprotection patterns 12A and the first top protection patterns 16A aresilicon oxide, a wet etching process including a H₃PO-based agent may beused for removing the first protection layer 18, and a wet etchingprocess including dilute hydrofluoric acid (dHF) may be used forremoving the first bottom protection patterns 12A and the first topprotection patterns 16A, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments,other suitable etching approaches may be employed for removing the firstbottom protection patterns 12A, the first top protection patterns 16A,and the first protection layer 18 according to the materials of thefirst bottom protection patterns 12A, the first top protection patterns16A, and the first protection layer 18. Additionally, in someembodiments, the step of forming the first top protection patterns 16Amay be omitted according to some considerations, and at least a part ofeach of the first bottom protection patterns 12A and at least a part ofthe first protection layer 18 may be removed after the first etchingprocess 91 for exposing at least a part of each of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A. In some embodiments, the first dummy topprotection pattern 16B in the first dummy structure DP1 and the firsttop protection patterns 16A may be removed concurrently, and at least apart of the first dummy bottom protection pattern 12B may still remainbetween the first dummy semiconductor pattern 14B and the substrate 10after the step of removing the first bottom protection patterns 12Abecause the first dummy patterned structures DP1 are not suspended abovethe substrate 10.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a gate dielectric layer 20 may be formedon the exposed part of each of the first semiconductor patterns 14A. Thegate dielectric layer 20 may include silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride,a high dielectric constant (high-k) material, or other suitabledielectric materials. The high-k material described above may includehafnium oxide (HfO₂), hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO₄), hafnium siliconoxynitride (HfSiON), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅),zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), or other suitable high-k materials. In someembodiments, the gate dielectric layer 20 may be formed by an atomiclayer deposition (ALD) process or other suitable film-forming processes.The gate dielectric layer 20 may encompass each of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A, and the gate dielectric layer 20 may bepartially formed on the first dummy patterned structures DP1 and in therecess R, but not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, after the step of forming the gatedielectric layer 20, a gate structure 22 may be formed on the gatedielectric layer 20, and a part of each of the first semiconductorpatterns 14A may be encompassed by the gate dielectric layer 20 and thegate structure 22. In some embodiments, the gate structure 22 mayinclude a single layer or multiple layers of conductive materials, suchas tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium aluminide (TiAl),titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride(TaN), titanium aluminum oxide (TiAlO), or other suitable metallicconductive materials or non-metallic conductive materials. Additionally,the gate structure 22 may be formed by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)process or other suitable film-forming processes, and theabove-mentioned conductive material which is not formed on the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A may be removed by a patterning approach forforming the gate structure 22. In some embodiments, the gate structure22 formed on one of the first semiconductor patterns 14A may beseparated from the gate structure 22 formed on another one of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A, but not limited thereto. For example, asshown in FIG. 9, the first semiconductor patterns 14 separated from oneanother may be formed above the recess R in the substrate 10, the gatedielectric layers 20 and the gate structures 22 may be formed on thesefirst semiconductor patterns 14 respectively, and the gate structures 22may be separated from one another. Additionally, each of the gatestructures 22 may not contact the substrate 10 and the gate dielectriclayer 20 on the substrate 10, and each of the gate structures 22 may besuspended above the substrate 10 and located above the recess R.

Please refer to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectionalschematic drawing illustrating the semiconductor device 101 taken alonganother direction. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in some embodiments,the gate structure 22 may encompass only a part of the firstsemiconductor pattern 14A, and another part of the first semiconductorpattern 14 which is not encompassed by the gate dielectric layer 20 andthe gate structure 22 may become a source region 24S and a drain region24D by a doping process or other suitable treatments for forming atransistor structure, which may be regarded as a gate-all-around (GAA)transistor structure, but not limited thereto. A part of the sourceregion 24S and a part of the drain region 24D may not overlap the recessR in the third direction D3, and a part of the first bottom protectionpattern 12A may remain between the source region 24S and the substrate10 and between the drain region 24D and the substrate 10, but notlimited thereto. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the semiconductordevice 101 may include the substrate 10 including the recess R, theplurality of the first semiconductor patterns 14A, the gate dielectriclayer 20, and the gate structure 22. The first semiconductor patterns14A are disposed on the substrate 10. At least a part of each of thefirst semiconductor patterns 14A may be disposed above the recess R andbe suspended above the recess R, and the gate dielectric layer 20 andthe gate structure 22 may be formed encompassing the a part of each ofthe first semiconductor patterns 14A for forming a plurality of GAAtransistor structures accordingly. Additionally, in some embodiments,contact structures (not shown) may be formed on the gate structures 22correspondingly for controlling the electrical conditions of differentgate structures 22. In this embodiment, the first protection layer 18and the first bottom protection pattern 12A located under each of thefirst semiconductor patterns 14A may be used to provide a protectioneffect to the first semiconductor patterns 14A during the etchingprocess of etching the substrate 10 and suspending at least a part ofeach of the first semiconductor patterns 14A above the substrate 10, andthe purposes of improving the manufacturing yield and/or enhancing therelated electrical performance of the semiconductor device 101 may beachieved accordingly.

The following description will detail the different embodiments of thepresent invention. To simplify the description, identical components ineach of the following embodiments are marked with identical symbols. Formaking it easier to understand the differences between the embodiments,the following description will detail the dissimilarities amongdifferent embodiments and the identical features will not be redundantlydescribed.

Please refer to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing illustrating asemiconductor device 102 according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 11, the difference between the semiconductordevice 102 and the semiconductor device in the first embodimentdescribed above is that, in the semiconductor device 102, the gatestructure 22 may encompass the first semiconductor patterns 14 separatedfrom one another concurrently. Therefore, the gate structure 22 formedon one of the first semiconductor patterns 14A may be connected with thegate structure 22 formed on another one of the first semiconductorpatterns 14A. In addition, the gate structure 22 may be partially formedon the first dummy patterned structures DP1 and/or partially formed inthe recess R, but not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIGS. 12-16. FIGS. 12-16 are schematicdrawings illustrating a manufacturing method of a semiconductor deviceaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.13 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 12, FIG. 14 is aschematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is aschematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 14, FIG. 16 is aschematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 15, and FIG. 12 may beregarded as a schematic drawing in a step subsequent to FIG. 6. As shownin FIG. 6 and FIG. 12, in the manufacturing method of this embodiment, afilling layer 30 may be formed covering the first patterned structuresP1 after the first etching process 91. In some embodiments, the fillinglayer 30 may further cover the first dummy patterned structures DP andthe space between the first patterned structures P1 adjacent to eachother, the space between the first patterned structure P1 and the firstdummy patterned structure DP1, and the recess R may be filled with thefilling layer 30, but not limited thereto. The filling layer 30 mayinclude polysilicon or other suitable material having relatively bettergap-filling ability and relatively better etching selectivity inrelation to the first protection layer 18 and the first bottomprotection patterns 12A. In other words, the material composition of thefilling layer 30 may be different from the material composition of thefirst protection layer 18 and the material composition of the firstbottom protection pattern 12A, and the etching property of the materialof the filling layer 30 may be similar to that of the material of thesubstrate 10, but not limited thereto.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, a plurality of secondpatterned structures P2 may be formed on the filling layer 30. Each ofthe second patterned structures P2 may include a second semiconductorpattern 34A and a second bottom protection pattern 32A, and the secondbottom protection pattern 32A may be disposed between the secondsemiconductor pattern 34A and the filling layer 30. In some embodiments,the second bottom protection pattern 32A may include an insulationmaterial, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, orother suitable protection materials, and the second semiconductorpattern 34A may include silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium, or othersuitable semiconductor materials. In addition, the forming method of thesecond patterned structures P2 in this embodiment may include but is notlimited to the following steps. Firstly, as shown in FIG. 12, a secondbottom protection layer 32, a second semiconductor layer 34, and asecond top protection layer 36 may be formed sequentially and stacked onthe filling layer 30. As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, a patterningprocess may be performed to the second bottom protection layer 32, thesecond semiconductor layer 34, and the second top protection layer 36for forming the second patterned structures P2. In other words, theforming method of the second patterned structures P2 may be similar tothat of the first patterned structures P1, but not limited thereto. Insome embodiments, the second bottom protection layer 32 and the secondtop protection layer 36 may include an insulation material, such assilicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other suitableprotection materials, and the second semiconductor layer 34 may includesilicon, germanium, silicon-germanium, or other suitable semiconductormaterials. Additionally, the forming methods of the second bottomprotection layer 32 and the second top protection layer 36 may besimilar to those of the first bottom protection layer 12 and the firsttop protection layer 16 described above, and the forming method of thesecond semiconductor layer 34 may be similar to that of the firstsemiconductor layer 14 described above, but not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the second bottom protection layer 32, the secondsemiconductor layer 34, and the second top protection layer 36 may beetched by one or more etching steps for forming the second patternedstructures P2, and a projection area of the second bottom protectionpattern 32A of each of the second patterned structures P2 in the thirddirection D3 may be substantially equal to a projection area of thesecond semiconductor pattern 34A of each of the second patternedstructures P2 in the third direction D3, but not limited thereto.Additionally, the second top protection layer 36 may be patterned to bea plurality of second top protection patterns 36A on the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A respectively by the patterning processdescribed above. In other words, each of the second patterned structuresP2 may further include the second top protection pattern 36A disposed onthe second semiconductor pattern 34A, but not limited thereto. In someembodiments, each of the second patterned structure P2 may be elongatedin the first direction D1 also, the second patterned structures P2 maybe disposed parallel to one another, and the second patterned structureP2 may be repeatedly disposed in the second direction D2, but notlimited thereto. It is worth noting that, in some embodiments, one ofthe second semiconductor patterns 34A may partially overlap at least oneof the first semiconductor patterns 14A in the thickness direction ofthe substrate 10 (such as the third direction D3), and the secondsemiconductor pattern 34A and the first semiconductor pattern 14Apartially overlapped by the second semiconductor pattern 34A may bearranged misaligned with one another in the thickness direction of thesubstrate 10. In other words, the center point of each of the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A and the center point of the firstsemiconductor pattern 14A partially overlapped by this secondsemiconductor pattern 34A may not be aligned with each other in thethird direction D3, and each of the second semiconductor patterns 34Amay overlap the space between the adjacent first patterned structures P1in the third direction D3 or overlap the space between the firstpatterned structure P1 and the first dummy patterned structure DP1 inthe third direction D3, but not limited thereto. By disposing the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A and the second semiconductor patterns 34Alocated misaligned with one another, the influence of the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A on the process of forming contact structures(such as gate contact structures) on the first semiconductor patterns14A may be improved, and that will be beneficial to improve the relatedstructural design limitation accordingly.

Additionally, in the patterning process of forming the second patternedstructures P2, some of the second bottom protection layer 32, the secondsemiconductor layer 34, and the second top protection layer 36 may bepatterned to be second dummy patterned structures DP2 disposed at twoopposite sides of the second patterned structures P2 in the seconddirection D2, and the second dummy patterned structures DP2 may overlapat least a part of the first dummy patterned structures DP1 in the thirddirection D3, but not limited thereto. The second dummy patternedstructure DP2 may include a second dummy bottom protection pattern 32Bformed by patterning the second bottom protection layer 32, a seconddummy semiconductor pattern 34B formed by patterning the secondsemiconductor layer 34, and a second dummy top protection pattern 36Bformed by patterning the second top protection layer 36. Additionally,in some embodiments, a planarization process may be performed to thefilling layer 30 before the step of forming the second bottom protectionlayer 32 for avoiding the influence on the formation of the secondpatterned structures P2, but not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 13, a second protection layer 38 may be formed on thesecond patterned structures P2 and the filling layer 30 after the stepof forming the second patterned structures P2, and a part of the secondprotection layer 38 may be located between the second patternedstructures P2. Subsequently, a second opening OP2 may be formed in thesecond protection layer 38 between the second patterned structures P2,and the second opening OP2 may penetrate the second protection layer 38and expose a part of the filling layer 30. In some embodiments, aplurality of the second openings OP2 may be formed in the secondprotection layer 38. Some of the second openings OP2 may be formed inthe second protection layer 38 between the second patterned structuresP2, and some of the second openings OP2 may be formed in the secondprotection layer 38 between the second patterned structure P2 and thesecond dummy patterned structure DP2. The manufacturing method of thesecond openings OP2 may be similar to that of the first openings OP1described above, but not limited thereto. Therefore, after the step offorming the second openings OP2, a top surface and a side surface ofeach of the second patterned structures P2 may still be covered by thesecond protection layer 38, but not limited thereto. In someembodiments, the second protection layer 38 located on the top surfaceof the second patterned structure P2 may be partially removed after thestep of forming the second openings OP2, but a top surface and a bottomsurface of the second semiconductor pattern 34A in each of the secondpatterned structures P2 may still be covered by the second topprotection pattern 36A and the second bottom protection pattern 32Arespectively, and a side surface of the second semiconductor pattern 34Amay still be covered by the second protection layer 38 for providing aprotection effect in subsequent etching processes. Additionally, in someembodiments, a part of the filling layer 30 may be removed by theetching process of forming the second openings OP2, but not limitedthereto.

In some embodiments, the second protection layer 38 may be conformallyformed on the second patterned structures P2, the second dummy patternedstructures DP2 and the filling layer 30. Accordingly, the space betweenthe second patterned structures P2 adjacent to each other and the spacebetween the second patterned structure P2 and the second dummy patternedstructure DP2 may not be fully filled with the second protection layer38 for being beneficial to the formation of the second openings OP2 andreducing the etching time of the etching process for forming the secondopenings OP2. In some embodiments, the first openings OP2 and the firstopenings OP1 may be disposed misaligned with one another in the thirddirection D3, and that will be beneficial to remove the filling layer 30between the second patterned structure P2 and the first patternedstructure P1 in the subsequent process, but not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a second etching process 92 may beperformed after the step of forming the second openings OP2. A part ofthe filling layer 30 between the substrate 10 and the second patternedstructures P2 may be removed by the second etching process 92 forsuspending at least a part of each of the second patterned structures P2above the first patterned structures P1. In some embodiments, the secondetching process 92 may include an isotropic etching process, such as awet isotropic etching process for enhancing the etching selectivity ofthe second etching process 92 between the filling layer 30 and othermaterial layers (such as the first protection layer 18, the first bottomprotection patterns 12A, the second protection layer 38, and the secondbottom protection patterns 32A), but not limited thereto. In someembodiments, the second etching process 92 may include other suitableetching approaches according to some considerations, in order to removethe filling layer 30 between the second patterned structure P2 and thefirst patterned structure P1 and remove the filling layer 30 between thesubstrate 10 and the first patterned structures P1 with avoiding orreducing etching other material layers, such as the first protectionlayer 18, the first bottom protection patterns 12A, the secondprotection layer 38, and the second bottom protection patterns 32A.Additionally, in some embodiments, each of the second semiconductorpatterns 34A may be encompassed by the second bottom protection pattern32A, the second bottom protection pattern 36A, and the second protectionlayer 38 in the second etching process 92, and each of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A may be encompassed by the first bottomprotection pattern 12A, the first bottom protection pattern 16A, and thefirst protection layer 18 in the second etching process 92 for avoidingnegative influence of the second etching process 92 on the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A and the second semiconductor patterns 34A.Additionally, in some embodiments, each of the second semiconductorpatterns 34A may be encompassed by the second bottom protection pattern32A and the second protection layer 38 in the second etching process 92for providing the protection effect without forming the second topprotection patterns 36A according to some considerations. In otherwords, each of the second semiconductor patterns 34A and each of thefirst semiconductor patterns 14A are not exposed in the second etchingprocess 93 for avoiding negative influence of the second etching process92 on the first semiconductor patterns 14A and the second semiconductorpatterns 34A.

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, after the second etching process 92, atleast a part of each of the second top protection patterns 36A, at leasta part of each of the second bottom protection patterns 32A, at least apart of the second protection layer 38, at least a part of each of thefirst top protection patterns 16A, at least a part of each of the firstbottom protection patterns 12A, and at least a part of the firstprotection layer 18 may be removed for exposing at least a part of eachof the second semiconductor patterns 34A and at least a part of each ofthe first semiconductor patterns 14A. In some embodiments, after theabove-mentioned step of removing at least a part of each of the secondtop protection patterns 36A, at least a part of each of the secondbottom protection patterns 32A, at least a part of the second protectionlayer 38, at least a part of each of the first top protection patterns16A, at least a part of each of the first bottom protection patterns12A, and at least a part of the first protection layer 18, a part of thesecond dummy bottom protection pattern 32B, a part of the filling layer30, a part of the first protection layer 18, and a part of the firstdummy top protection pattern 16B may still remain between the seconddummy semiconductor pattern 34B and the first dummy semiconductorpattern 14B in the third direction D3, but not limited thereto.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a gate dielectric layer20 may be formed on the exposed part of each of the second semiconductorpatterns 34A and the exposed part of each of the first semiconductorpatterns 14A, and a gate structure 22 may be formed on the gatedielectric layer 20. A part of each of the second semiconductor patterns34A and a part of each of the first semiconductor patterns 14A may beencompassed by the gate dielectric layer 20 and the gate structure 22.In some embodiments, parts of the gate structure 22 formed on the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A respectively may be separated from oneanother, parts of the gate structure 22 formed on the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A respectively may be separated from oneanother, and the gate structure 22 formed on the second semiconductorpattern 34A may be separated from the gate structure 22 formed on thefirst semiconductor pattern 14A for forming a plurality of the GAAtransistor structures stacked in the third direction D3 and separatedfrom one another, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the gatestructure 22 formed on the second semiconductor patterns 34A may beconnected with the gate structure 22 formed on the first semiconductorpatterns 14A (similar to the condition shown in FIG. 11 described above)according to some considerations, but not limited thereto. It is worthnoting that, by the manufacturing method in this embodiment, thematerial composition of the first semiconductor pattern 14A may bedifferent from the material composition of the second semiconductorpattern 34A because the first semiconductor pattern 14A and the secondsemiconductor pattern 34A stacked in the third direction D3 may beformed by different processes respectively, and GAA transistorstructures with different electrical performances may be formedaccordingly, but not limited thereto. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 16,in some embodiments, a dielectric layer 40 may be formed covering thegate structures 22, formed between the gate structures 22, and formed inthe recess R after the step of forming the gate structures 22, but notlimited thereto. The dielectric layer 40 may include silicon oxide,silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other suitable insulationmaterials.

As shown in FIG. 16, the semiconductor device 103 may include thesubstrate 10 including the recess R, a plurality of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A, and a plurality of the second semiconductorpatterns 34A. The first semiconductor patterns 14A are disposed on thesubstrate 10, and at least a part of each of the first semiconductorpatterns 14A is disposed above the recess R in the third direction D3.The second semiconductor patterns 34A are disposed above the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A, and the second semiconductor patterns 34Aand the first semiconductor patterns 14A are arranged misaligned withone another in the thickness direction of the substrate 10 (such as thethird direction D3). In addition, each of the second semiconductorpatterns 34A may partially overlap at least one of the firstsemiconductor patterns 14A in the third direction D3, and each of thesecond semiconductor patterns 34A and the first semiconductor pattern14A partially overlapped by the second semiconductor pattern 34A arearranged misaligned with one another in the third direction D3. In someembodiments, each of the first semiconductor patterns 14A and each ofthe second semiconductor patterns 34A may be elongated in the firstdirection D1 respectively, and an elongation direction of each of thefirst semiconductor patterns 14A may be parallel to an elongationdirection of each of the second semiconductor patterns 34A accordingly,but not limited thereto. In addition, the gate structure 22 formed oneach of the first semiconductor patterns 14A may be regarded as a firstgate structure G1, the gate dielectric layer 20 formed on each of thefirst semiconductor patterns 14A may be regarded as a first gatedielectric layer DL1, the gate structure 22 formed on each of the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A may be regarded as a second gate structureG2, and the gate dielectric layer 20 formed on each of the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A may be regarded as a second gate dielectriclayer DL2. Therefore, the semiconductor device 103 may include aplurality of the first gate structures G1, a plurality of the first gatedielectric layers DL1, a plurality of the second gate structures G2, anda plurality of the second gate dielectric layers DL2. Each of the firstgate structures G1 and the corresponding first gate dielectric layer DL1may encompass a part of one of the first semiconductor patterns 14A, andeach of the second gate structures G2 and the corresponding second gatedielectric layer DL2 may encompass a part of one of the secondsemiconductor patterns 34A. The first gate structures G1 may beseparated from one another, the second gate structures G2 may beseparated from one another, the first gate structures G1 may beseparated from the second gate structures G2, and the first gatestructures G1 may be separated from the substrate 10. In other words,the semiconductor device 103 may include a plurality of GAA transistorstructures stacked in the third direction D3, separated from oneanother, and disposed misaligned with one another in the third directionD3, but not limited thereto. In addition, the semiconductor device 103may include the dielectric layer 40 covering the first gate structuresG1 and the second gate structures G2, and the dielectric layer 40 may bepartly disposed in the recess R.

By the manufacturing method of this embodiment, transistor structuresmay be formed stacked by multiple layers (two or more layers) andseparated from one another for enhancing the device integrity and/or theelectrical performance of the semiconductor device. In addition, bydisposing the first semiconductor pattern 14A and the secondsemiconductor pattern 34A misaligned with each other in the thirddirection D3, the first gate structure G1 formed on the firstsemiconductor pattern 14A and the second gate structure G2 formed on thesecond semiconductor pattern 34A may be disposed misaligned with eachother in the third direction D3 also. The influence of the second gatestructures G2 on the process of forming contact structures (such as gatecontact structures formed in the dielectric layer 40) on the first gatestructures G1 may be improved, and that will be beneficial to improvethe related structural design limitation and/or improve the relatedmanufacturing yield accordingly.

Please refer to FIG. 4, FIG. 17, and FIG. 18. FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 areschematic drawings illustrating a manufacturing method of asemiconductor device according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein FIG. 18 is a schematic drawing in a step subsequentto FIG. 17, and FIG. 17 may be regarded as a schematic drawing in a stepsubsequent to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 17, and FIG. 18, in themanufacturing method of this embodiment, the filling layer 30 may beformed covering the first patterned structures P1 after the step offorming the first openings OP1 and before the step of forming the recessR, and the second patterned structures P2, the second dummy patternedstructures DP2, and the second protection layer 38 may be formed on thefilling layer 30 subsequently. After the step of forming the secondopenings OP2 in the second protection layer 38, the firs etching process91 may be performed for removing a part of the filling layer 30 betweenthe substrate 10 and the second patterned structures D2 and suspendingat least a part of each of the second patterned structures P2 above thefirst patterned structures P1. Additionally, a part of the substrate 10under the first patterned structures P1 may be removed by the firstetching process 91 also for suspending at least a part of each of thefirst patterned structures P1 above the substrate 10. In someembodiments, the first etching process 91 may include a single etchingstep configured to removing a part of the filling layer 30 and a part ofthe substrate 10 concurrently, especially when the etching property ofthe material of the filling layer 30 is similar to that of the materialof the substrate 10, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, thefirst etching process 91 may include different etching steps forremoving the part of the filling layer 30 and the part of the substrate10 respectively.

Please refer to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a schematic drawing illustrating asemiconductor device 104 according to a fifth embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 19, the difference between the semiconductordevice 104 and the semiconductor device in the third embodimentdescribed above is that, in the step of forming the dielectric layer 40,the process parameters of forming the dielectric layer 40 and/or thematerial used to form the dielectric layer 40 may be modified (such asusing a material with relatively worse gap-filling ability to form thedielectric layer 40) for forming an air gap 42 in the dielectric layer40 located in the recess R. The air gap 42 may be used to improve theisolation between the substrate 10 and the first gate structures G1and/or the isolation between other part formed in the substrate 10 (suchas other active components and/or positive components) and the firstgate structures G1, and that will be beneficial for the entireelectrical performance of the semiconductor device 103. It is worthnoting that the dielectric layer 40 and the air gap 42 in thisembodiment may also be applied to other embodiments of the presentinvention (such as the first embodiment described above).

To summarize the above descriptions, according to the semiconductordevice and the manufacturing method thereof in the present invention,the bottom protection pattern and the protection layer may be used toform the protection effect for the semiconductor pattern for avoidingthe negative influence of the etching process for suspending a part ofthe semiconductor pattern on the semiconductor pattern. In addition, thesemiconductor patterns staked in the thickness direction of thesubstrate and arranged misaligned with one another in the thicknessdirection of the substrate may be formed by the manufacturing method ofthe present invention, and the device integrity may be enhanced and/orthe related structural design limitation may be reduced accordingly.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

1. A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprising: formingfirst patterned structures on a substrate, wherein each of the firstpatterned structures comprises: a first semiconductor pattern; and afirst bottom protection pattern disposed between the first semiconductorpattern and the substrate; forming a first protection layer on the firstpatterned structures and the substrate, wherein a part of the firstprotection layer is located between the first patterned structures;forming a first opening in the first protection layer between the firstpatterned structures, wherein the first opening penetrates the firstprotection layer and exposes a part of the substrate; performing a firstetching process after the step of forming the first opening, wherein apart of the substrate under the first patterned structures is removed bythe first etching process for suspending at least a part of each of thefirst patterned structures above the substrate; removing at least a partof each of the first bottom protection patterns and at least a part ofthe first protection layer after the first etching process for exposingat least a part of each of the first semiconductor patterns; forming afirst gate dielectric layer on the exposed part of each of the firstsemiconductor patterns; and forming a first gate structure on the firstgate dielectric layer, wherein a part of each of the first semiconductorpatterns is encompassed by the first gate dielectric layer and the firstgate structure.
 2. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein each of the first semiconductor patternsis encompassed by the first bottom protection pattern and the firstprotection layer in the first etching process.
 3. (canceled) 4.(canceled)
 5. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first gate structure is suspendedabove the substrate.
 6. The manufacturing method of the semiconductordevice according to claim 1, wherein the first gate structure formed onone of the first semiconductor patterns is separated from the first gatestructure formed on another one of the first semiconductor patterns. 7.The manufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to claim1, wherein each of the first patterned structures further comprises afirst top protection pattern disposed on the first semiconductorpattern, and each of the first semiconductor patterns is encompassed bythe first bottom protection pattern, the first top protection pattern,and the first protection layer in the first etching process.
 8. Themanufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to claim 7,further comprising: removing at least a part of each of the first topprotection patterns after the first etching process.
 9. Themanufacturing method of the semiconductor device according to claim 1,further comprising: forming a filling layer covering the first patternedstructures; forming second patterned structures on the filling layer,wherein each of the second patterned structures comprises: a secondsemiconductor pattern; and a second bottom protection pattern disposedbetween the second semiconductor pattern and the filling layer; forminga second protection layer on the second patterned structures and thefilling layer, wherein a part of the second protection layer is locatedbetween the second patterned structures; and forming a second opening inthe second protection layer between the second patterned structures,wherein the second opening penetrates the second protection layer andexposes a part of the filling layer.
 10. The manufacturing method of thesemiconductor device according to claim 9, further comprising:performing a second etching process after the step of forming the secondopening, wherein a part of the filling layer between the substrate andthe second patterned structures is removed by the second etching processfor suspending at least a part of each of the second patternedstructures above the first patterned structures.
 11. The manufacturingmethod of the semiconductor device according to claim 10, furthercomprising: removing at least a part of each of the second bottomprotection patterns and at least a part of the second protection layerafter the second etching process for exposing at least a part of each ofthe second semiconductor patterns; forming a second gate dielectriclayer on the exposed part of each of the second semiconductor patterns;and forming a second gate structure on the second gate dielectric layer,wherein a part of each of the second semiconductor patterns isencompassed by the second gate dielectric layer and the second gatestructure.
 12. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein the first etching process is performedafter the step of forming the second opening, and a part of the fillinglayer between the substrate and the second patterned structures isremoved by the first etching process for suspending at least a part ofeach of the second patterned structures above the first patternedstructures.
 13. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein one of the second semiconductor patternspartially overlaps at least one of the first semiconductor patterns in athickness direction of the substrate, and the second semiconductorpattern and the first semiconductor pattern partially overlapped by thesecond semiconductor pattern are arranged misaligned with one another inthe thickness direction of the substrate. 14-20. (canceled)